As population continues to grow, more land is required for habitation and more food is required for consumption. To accommodate growing urbanization and the decrease of arable land area, agricultural systems are centralizing to hotspots within the U.S. and other countries. However, these large-scale production systems may use inefficient methods, and some systems may select fruits and vegetables for their ability to be harvested early and transport for extended periods of time as opposed to being selected for good nutritional content. The increase use of transplants is needed to support the increase in farming for the rising population. Some consumers may wish to engage in supporting or growing locally produced foods for increased quality, nutrition and lower price. However, many cities lack the zoning laws to address small-scale agricultural operations. The present invention features a self-contained semi-automated production facility capable of culturing plants and other organisms in a controlled environment. The system of the present invention provides optimal environmental conditions, regardless of the external conditions, to allow for production of such plants and organisms. The system provides treatments for manipulation of the physiology, morphology, or other phenotypical responses. The system provides environments for grafted plant production including germination, healing, and cultivation. The system of the present invention helps to use better technologies to produce food (and other plant products such as biopharmaceuticals, industrials compounds, etc. in a controlled and scalable manner), rather than the traditional methods. The present invention is in no way limited to the examples disclosed herein.
For example, in some embodiments, the system is used for the enhancement of nutritional content of food products produced. Adding nutritional content and placement may help to alleviate localized food-related health issues by contributing to availability of high quality, high nutrition, foods that are normally inaccessible in such areas.
Sometimes the readiness of the accepting planting location may not be suitable due to unfavorable weather conditions, poor field conditions (e.g., a wet field), operator readiness (business, or lack of adequate plant stock), or other issue and planting must be delayed. During such time, transplants will experience unfavorable conditions in their non-climate controlled, non-irrigated, passive transportation container as they wait for transplant. As a result of waiting in poor conditions, loss of units and/or plant quality occurs. Loss of quality will be expressed in the field by lower yield and quality. The present invention creates an intermittent storage facility to help avoid potential risks and losses.
Similarly, sometimes transplants are traveling from ideal or different conditions as compared to those of their final destination. This difference in climatic condition can shock the plants if not properly acclimated beforehand. This can cause loss of units, yield, and quality. In some embodiments, the system of the present invention can provide optimal growth conditions and low temperature storage of plants without needing internment or specialized facilities such as refrigerated storage, which is not commonly used for vegetable plant stock storage. The system of the present invention can be left at the transplanting location desired while maintaining plant stock in a preserved condition until the plant stock is needed for use or the conditions are appropriate. Preserved and ready-to-use, in-production, or in-transit plant stocks may be acclimated to current or anticipated field conditions when desired using the present system, offering greater initial survival rates, higher quality and yield as a result of a healthier organism entering the field.
The system of the present invention may also be suitable for disaster relief. For example, the system of the present invention may be primed with starting materials (or be already in production) and then transported to the needed location. During transport, products may be growing, allowing for readiness upon arrival or reduced time to readiness, with the capacity for continued production immediately upon arrival. In some embodiments, the system of the present invention allows for food production in non-traditional locations such as disaster relief areas or similar where infrastructure to support food production would be useful. The system of the present invention may also be utilized passively or actively for water treatment. Through the application of brackish or otherwise untreated water to organisms growing in the system, transpiration of the water into a gaseous form will occur during photosynthesis and respiration retaining harmful components within the plant, growing substrate, or recirculated solution. The condensate recovery system and the water treatment and filtration systems may be used to collect, sterilize and create potable water from otherwise unusable sources after being collected from recirculated moist air within the unit.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description.